Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)
claimed this week that some Democrats are supportive of his sweeping blueprint
to balance the budget — just not publicly.

Appearing on Fox News
Thursday, the senior Republican on the House Budget Committee, conceded that
ideological differences between the parties have led many Democrats to oppose
his balanced budget plan, which would privatize Medicare and Medicaid. “But I’ve
also had Democrats who say, ‘If it weren’t so political I would go for this,’”
he said.

“When the microphones are
turned off, I’ve gotten great response from Democrats,” Ryan said. “The problem
is we have this political paralysis.”

Under Ryan’s plan, dubbed the
Roadmap for America’s Future, those younger than 55 today would receive
vouchers to purchase private insurance coverage in lieu of having Medicare’s
single-payer coverage kick in when they hit 65.

The benefits would be
means-tested, meaning the vouchers would be adjusted to reflect the wealth of
the beneficiary. Ryan’s bill would also tweak Medicare eligibility, raising the
eligibility age incrementally to nearly 70.